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Forsyth County News
J Your "Hometown Paper" Since 1908 J I£/3
Vol. 92, No. 131
Man indicted for drugs, weapons
By Colby Jones
Staff Writer
A Forsyth County grand jury has indicted
Mark C. Bain of Dawsonville for trafficking
methamphetamine and possession of an anti
tank weapon.
The indictment filed Tuesday follows a joint
investigation by sheriff’s offices in Forsyth and
Dawson counties that culminated April 24 with
the arrest of Bain and seizure of roughly two
pounds of methamphetamine and a light anti
armor rocket launcher.
Bain, 31, also was indicted on two counts of
possession of a firearm during commission of a
Cruisin’ for a
good time
Local teens
pass time in
parking lots
By Mindy Marriott
For the Forsyth County News
During the day, the Publix park
ing lot in Cumming is busy with a
steady stream of cars with shoppers
parking, purchasing what they need
and leaving.
But when the sun goes down,
some of Forsyth County’s youth pull
up in pickup trucks and cars
and the atmosphere of the parking lot
transforms into a laid-back social
scene.
During the summer months, they
gather every night, for it is a known
fact among youth that the parking
lots of Forsyth County will not be
empty if it is dark outside.
Now that school is back in ses
sion, the cruising is mostly on week
ends.
They come in trucks and cars
plastered in stickers, stereos pump
ing. Some sport bare chests and cow
boy hats. Some fly Confederate
flags. They all come for a good time.
Often, they congregate by the
See CRUISE, Page 4A
Corps defends water
levels at Lake Lanier
By Alton Bridges
and Susan Norman
Staff Writers
Despite the perception that the
water level in Lake Lanier is not ris
ing in proportion to the heavy
amount of recent rainfall in the area,
the lake has been rising in almost
exact proportion to the number of
inches of precipitation, according to
information from the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers.
Between April and July, more
than 20 inches of rain fell in the
immediate vicinity of the 38,000-
acre reservoir.
Rainfall in Gainesville during that
period totaled 25.73 inches and in
Cumming measured 21.59 inches,
according to the National Weather
Service. It measured 19.53 inches
over the lake area between May and
July, according to the Corps.
The lake level rose from
1,060.95 feet above mean sea level
on April 1 to 1,062.69 feet on July
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Copyright © 2001 Forsyth County News
. mill
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Bain
29, of Norcross was indicted for conspiring to
distribute methamphetamine.
Assistant District Attorney Rand Csehy is
Photos/Tom Brooks
Now that school is back in
session, the teens’ cruis
ing is mostly restricted to
weekends in parking lots
around town.
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31 or about 20 inches.
Area residents in recent weeks
have contacted local public officials
and the Forsyth County News to
question why the water level remains
about eight feet below full pool. The
water level Wednesday was 1,062.75
feet. Full pool is 1,071 feet.
District 5 Commissioner Eddie
Taylor brought up the subject at
Monday night’s meeting of the board
of commissioners. He and his col
leagues voted to have County
Administrator Stevie Mills write a
letter posing the question to the
Corps, which maintains the lake.
Memphis Vaughan, water manag
er in the Corp’s Mobile, Ala., district
office, said in an interview Wed
nesday that the lake level is a foot
higher than it was one year ago at
this time. He said one of the reasons
why it hasn’t risen more is due to the
high demand on its water supply due
See RAIN, Page 3A
INDEX
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Church events 8A
Classifieds 2B
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Deaths 2A
Events 9A
Horoscope aaaaeeataaaaaaaaateaeaaaaa 9B
Opinion 11A
Sports IB
FRIDAY August 17, 2001
felony and one count of
aggravated stalking. The
stalking charge stems from
his alleged violation of a
condition of his pretrial
release requiring that he have
no contact with a witness in
the case. He currently is
being held without bond in
the Forsyth County Jail.
In connection with the
same case, John L. Wheeler,
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Church
See what’s
happening with
local churches.
PageSA
assigned to prosecute the case.
Acting on a tip, deputies and undercover
narcotics officers three months ago during a
traffic stop descended on a 2000 Ford F 250
driven by Bain off Parks Road in northeast
Forsyth County. A search of the truck uncov
ered a suitcase containing methamphetamine,
$7,000 cash and two handguns.
Deputies said the confiscated methampheta
mine, an illegal stimulant known as “speed”
and “crank” on the street, is worth about
$90,000.
Prior to his arrest, Bain worked in the con
struction business and has a background in the
military, according to the sheriff’s office.
Inside
Deadline nears to
register for
SPLOST vote.
Page4A
Neighbors have said the suspect has been
fond of firing guns late at night but otherwise
has caused few problems in the Dawson
Junction neighborhood where he lived prior to
his arrest.
After the traffic stop, detectives executed a
search warrant at his residence.
A flatbed trailer, loader, two tractors and
$2,600 in one-dollar bills were among the
items seized from the home.
The bulk of the 20 indictments filed
Tuesday afternoon at the courthouse involved
drug offenses, fraud and assault. An indictment
See INDICT, Page 3A
Rai " LAKE LANIER LEVELS
x Date Level
/ , Aug. 12 1062.44 ft
Jr s
High in the high 80s.
Low in the low 70s.
,/20
New map
dilutes
county’s
power
By Phillip Hermann
News Editor
By a vote along party lines, the
Georgia House of Representatives on
Wednesday approved a reapportion
ment map for the state that will have
a dramatic impact on the political
structure of districts affecting
Forsyth County.
Under the plan
approved 102-74
with 102
Democrats voting
yes and 74 Repub
licans voting no
Forsyth County
would still have
two House dis
tricts. but one will
be multimember
and the other an
open seat. One Democrat voted
against it.
The newly drawn 14th District
would encompass three-fourths of
the county, plus portions of north
Fulton County, southern Dawson
County and eastern Cherokee
County that currently are represent
ed by three Republicans: Reps. Tom
Knox, R-Forsyth County, Garland
Pinholster, R-Cherokee County, and
See MAP, Page 4A
Wreck traps
man under
truck
Deputies said a man became
trapped underneath this sanita
tion truck Wednesday afternoon
following a one-vehicle wreck on
Bagley Road in south Forsyth
County. The truck was traveling
eastbound when it left the black
top and overturned, according
to the Forsyth County Sheriff’s
Office. The victim, whose name
was not immediately released,
was transported to the hospital
by emergency helicopter. He
was conscious at the scene and
his injuries are not expected to
be life threatening, said Capt.
Frank Huggins.
Photos/Tom Brooks
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